A significant design consideration for present-day cellular networks is providing high data-rates to wireless users, referred to herein as user equipments (UEs). Specifically, data rates depend on various factors, including channel characteristics (e.g., channel capacity, etc.), channel conditions (e.g., path loss, fading, shadowing, etc.), power control settings, etc. Accordingly, UEs within the same cellular region may experience significantly different data-rates based on, for instance, their proximity to a serving base station (eNB), the level of interference experienced from nearby UEs in the same or neighboring cellular coverage areas, etc.
UEs having poor uplink/downlink connections may require higher transmission power levels (or more uplink/downlink bandwidth, or more transmission time) to maintain adequate throughput, which may (amongst other things) cause greater levels of interference amongst neighboring UEs and/or cause the suboptimal utilization of bandwidth/network resources. In some instances, a high cost connection may be so poor that adequate or desirable data rates are either impossible or impractical (e.g., would require too many network resources or cause excessive interference). A high cost connection may be a connection that requires considerable network resources per throughput (e.g., a high bandwidth to throughput ratio), or a connection that is incapable of providing a desired connection speed or throughput capacity. Threshold values can be established that define when the cost associated with a connection becomes excessive (i.e., becomes a “high cost” connection). As such, techniques and methods for providing higher data rates to UEs with high cost connections are desired.